School Board Candidate: Eric Reed

MARIETTA, OH — Some members of the public have reached out to Patch about the media coverage, or lack thereof, around those running for Marietta City Schools Board of Education. There will be three new members on a board of five, so obviously, this is a very important election. The latest article of any significance was written by the Marietta Times some time ago. They reported that the Marietta Education Association's Public Action Committee endorsed three candidates, Sam Tuten, Eric Reed, and Cody Parman.

There are still three other candidates on the ballot, Ethan Vessels, Seth Miller, and Rudolph John Lehman. So the invitation is out to all candidates, reach out, we will publish your statement about why you want to be on the Board of Marietta City Schools, why you were or weren't endorsed by the MEA, and why that is or isn't relevant.

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The Patch graciously reached out this past weekend asking if I would like to provide a statement
in response to the following questions: Why do I want to be a Board Member for Marietta City
Schools and why was I endorsed by the MEA? Below is my response...

The first question seems simple. The second, a bit harder. Maybe if I start at the beginning, it
will help to answer both.

I was born at Marietta Memorial Hospital in 1982, but raised in the small town of Newport, just
up river. My dad was Valedictorian of Warren High School in 1962 and my mom, a 1971
graduate of Marietta High School. Following three tours in Vietnam and a roundabout college
experience my dad graduated from OU with a degree in mathematics. He and my mom met at
ODOT, the same place my wife and I would meet some 30-plus years later. Armed with a math
degree my dad would find his way to the underground coal mines of Monroe County in the late
70s. The long drive from Marietta eventually led to a house in Newport and the only place I
would call home as a kid.

This personal background is important because I believe it shaped who I am today. I grew up in
a great town, with great friends, in a school district that had great teachers. Our school district
was not wealthy. We didn’t care. Nearly every kid in the close circle of friends that my brother
and I grew up with went onto college. A doctor, lawyer, engineer, forester, actuary, pilot,
assistant plant manager are just some of our professions today. Following the lead of our
parents and teachers, we never questioned what we didn't have, only loving everything that we did have.

So based on this story, I must surely be satisfied with mediocre academic standards? Hardly.
Why do I get out of bed in the mornings and go to the gym at 6am before work? Fear of
mediocrity. Why do I work hard as a public servant knowing that there is no year end bonus
and no profit sharing? Fear of mediocrity.

In addition, there's no way a government civil engineer would have the business savvy to help
lead a $28 million dollar school district, right? Three years ago, as the first Capital Programs
Administrator in District 10 history, I guided our staff during a historic twelve month period that
resulted in the sale of 128 projects totaling $117 million dollars. If balanced out, that is like
selling a construction project every other work day for almost 52 weeks in a row.
As for specific agenda items that I would like to immediately discuss if elected to the school
board…

Are we challenging the superintendent to retain or gain students annually? Can we form an ad-
hoc community committee to more broadly explore a capital improvement project that very
seriously considers renovation vs. new build, similar to Cleveland Heights School District? Do
we fully understand the State Report Cards and why aren't we chasing goals on these each
year? How do we demand and measure better communication from our administration to our
teachers? Can we work to collaborate with WSCC in ways that other districts can’t, but still

encourage the traditional high school experience? Who was a childhood friend of our uber-
successful Marietta alumni and how can they reach out to discuss possible partnering
opportunities?

In the end, I think that it is my love for my past, my love for my present, and my love for our
daughters currently attending MCS that makes me want to be a MCS Board Member. As for the
MEA endorsement, maybe it happened because I didn’t call everyone to the carpet for poor
testing results before getting a good chance to look under the hood...I guess that leadership
style is the result of my background too.

-Eric Reed is a licensed professional engineer in his 17th year with the Ohio Department of
Transportation. He lives in Devola with his wife Natalie and three daughters, Blaire (age 10-
MES), Kendall (age 8-Philips Elem.), and Presley (age 6-Phillips Elem.).

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